Into the Fire Interview: Developers Talk About Volcanic Rescue Mechanics And Moral Choices

In Into the Fire, the main goal is survival in the face of the destructive forces of nature and fire demons. Players are placed in high-risk rescue situations, where every second counts, and every decision has consequences. The player faces challenges related to natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and ash storms. During the development process, we realized that the game is best described as a disaster extraction survival game.

This approach emphasizes the player’s role as a rescuer, where the primary goal is to navigate dangerous terrain to save lives, both human and animal. The game creates an intense sense of urgency, forcing players to think strategically, prioritize tasks, and adapt to a world that is as dangerous as it is dynamic. We moved away from the term “anti-combat” – it turned out to be too ambiguous in its reception and created too many misunderstandings.

Environmental threats in Into the Fire are central to the gameplay experience. The volcanic landscape is unpredictable, with shifting terrain, collapsing structures, pyroclastic flows, and violent eruptions. Players must constantly adapt, using tactical tools and navigating through dangerous areas to reach survivors before it’s too late.

The game also incorporates resource management, where players need to read seismographs, monitor hazards, and make quick decisions on where to focus their efforts. Every action, from choosing the right equipment to rescuing survivors, has a direct impact on the survival of those involved.

The retro-inspired tools in Into the Fire are vital for surviving the volcanic chaos and rescuing survivors. You’ll wield unique tactical extinguishing weapons like the suppression pistol, extinguishing shotgun, and fire bomb launcher to battle flames, clear paths, and create safe routes in the dangerous environment. These tools are inspired by early 20th-century volcanologists and their pioneering spirit, combined with retro-futuristic designs that evoke a sense of both past innovation and speculative technology. The gadgets are not only functional but also serve to immerse players in a world where creativity and science collide to fight overwhelming natural forces.

The game emphasizes emotional and moral complexity. Every rescue mission, every decision made, has a ripple effect. Players will often have to choose between different lives or face dilemmas where no choice is without consequence. These decisions will influence how survivors react, the relationships within the community, and the progression of the story.

The Hub, the central safe zone, evolves based on these choices, growing with every person or animal saved, and becoming more alive as the player’s actions unfold. The narrative isn’t just shaped by environmental challenges, but by the ethical weight of the decisions made and their long-term effects on both the world and the characters involved.

The island’s volcanic range is inspired by real-world volcanic landscapes and the myths surrounding them. It’s a world where the beauty of nature’s raw power contrasts with the danger lurking beneath. The mystical elements draw on ancient legends and forgotten histories, which players uncover through their exploration. These secrets connect the player not only to the natural world but to the deeper, unknown forces that lie beyond science.

The combination of real-world geology and fantastical lore enhances the storytelling by blending the tangible and the mysterious, creating a narrative where every step taken could reveal something new and unexpected.

The name Into the Fire was chosen to better reflect the game’s core themes of survival, sacrifice, and the extreme environment players must navigate. While Dante’s Ring captured the dramatic, fiery nature of the setting, it didn’t fully convey the emotional journey of the players. Into the Fire is a direct reflection of the urgency and peril of the game—a place where players must venture into the heart of chaos to save others. It speaks to the idea of stepping into the unknown, where danger and mystery await, and survival is the ultimate goal.

The narrative and gameplay experience will vary depending on people saved during rescue missions. By engaging in conversations with the characters, players will be immersed in different story bits and engage in various quests. Given that not even one player will be able to save everyone, this gameplay loop will allow for unique variations of the narrative experience, even without multiple endings.

Rescue missions are central to both the gameplay and story of Into the Fire. They are not only about saving lives but about uncovering the story of the island and its people. Rescuing survivors or animals isn’t just a matter of gathering resources or completing a task—it’s about learning more about the island’s mysteries and its past.

The people you save provide valuable information, deepen your understanding of the island’s history, and bring you closer to solving the central mystery. Each rescue mission serves as both a gameplay mechanic and a narrative progression, with saved individuals becoming part of the broader story and world of the game.

The transition from The Invincible to Into the Fire taught us a lot about balancing narrative depth with player engagement. While The Invincible focused on contemplative exploration and introspection, Into the Fire is about urgency, emotional investment, and making the player feel the consequences of their actions. We wanted to bring the same depth of storytelling but with a faster, more emotionally driven pace. We also learned a lot about how to engage players through gameplay mechanics that are less about combat and more about survival under pressure, forcing us to think creatively about how to make every second count.

One of the most significant challenges we needed to face was deciding on a gameplay loop and level design. We wanted to blend a few game genres to create something truly innovative—balancing roguelite, extraction, exploration, and survival elements—and it was not an easy feat. However, it is going to be highly rewarding to show players such a unique combination.

We spent much of our resources on discussing level design and randomizing components of different levels, as we want rescue missions to evoke strong emotions long after people run into the fire for the first time. We work on keeping repetitive runs interesting by playing with horizontal and vertical parts of the gameplay, and by expanding the retro equipment available in different parts of the game. The experience we gained during the production of The Invincible helps us a lot while researching and designing retro tools for Into the Fire.

We are currently a team of fourteen people, a smaller team compared to the one that has been working on The Invincible. Eleven of us are directly involved in the production process, and three of us focus mostly on marketing efforts. Our job descriptions rarely cover the entirety of what we do on a daily basis. With a team that small, we all have to be renaissance people, going beyond our specializations to make this fiery game a gem. Fortunately, we got a lot of positive feedback after the last trailer, which was truly heartwarming and provided a huge motivation boost to show Into the Fire to players as soon as possible.

The feedback from The Invincible was instrumental in shaping Into the Fire. Many players appreciated the game’s atmosphere and depth, but we also heard that they wanted a more dynamic, emotionally engaging experience. We have taken that feedback to heart, shifting the focus of Into the Fire to deliver more immediate stakes, greater emotional depth, and a stronger narrative hook. Player engagement was another key area of focus—we have worked to create a game that offers more player agency, with meaningful decisions that shape the world.

The retrofuturistic aesthetic in Into the Fire is inspired by the early 20th-century vision of science and exploration, particularly the field of volcanology. We were inspired by both real-world innovations, like the early tools used by volcanologists, and the adventure-driven, imaginative sci-fi worlds found in the works of Jules Verne and other pioneers. This style serves the game’s themes by merging the real and the speculative, creating a world where analog technology meets the awe-inspiring power of nature, while also reflecting the tension between the known and the unknown.

We are utilizing advanced simulation technologies to replicate the dynamic and volatile nature of the volcanic environment. The engine allows for detailed environmental interactions, such as lava flows, ash clouds, seismic tremors, and shifting terrain. This ensures that each disaster feels organic and unpredictable, making every challenge unique and requiring the player to think on their feet. The technology behind these environmental hazards ensures that they react to the player’s actions, creating a truly captivating survival experience.

During the Early Access period, we plan to expand the gameplay by improving core mechanics connected to fighting elements and fire demons, saving lives, and facing the raw power of nature—we also consider adding new ones. With each update, we will be going deeper into the fire, enlarging the game’s possibilities along the way.

As gamers ourselves, we believe that while our game is in Early Access, we should actively listen to the community, whether it means designing new retro gear and fire extinguishing weapons, adding more NPCs, or creating new mission levels. We want to give agency to players and be responsive to their feedback with our actions. You can expect everything to be co-created with our community, as it always produces the best results in the gaming industry.